Afroman 'surprised' by reaction to his major free speech victory after jury verdict
Rapper Afroman is celebrating a major legal victory after an Ohio jury ruled that his songs and music videos mocking a police raid on his home are protected by the First Amendment.
Appearing on "Jesse Watters Primetime" following the verdict, the rapper wore an American flag suit to deliver a message to the country.
"I didn’t cry. I took it like a sport. I wrote songs, and I put out an album, and that album was designed to pay for the damages that they did," Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Foreman, said Friday.
The legal battle began in 2022 when officers raided the Grammy-nominated rapper’s Ohio home on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping. Authorities found no evidence of a crime, and the "Because I Got High" rapper used home security footage of the incident to produce his album "Lemon Pound Cake."
"That was my way of walking away from it, cracking a little joke, investing in it, in some music, and hoping I raised enough money to pay the damage," he said, referring to the damage officers did to his property.
His music videos garnered millions of views on YouTube and directly referred to the raid in the lyrics, videos and titles of songs like "Will You Help Me Repair My Door?"
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The seven sheriff’s deputies who sued Afroman were collectively seeking nearly $4 million in damages for defamation, arguing they’d been harassed over the videos.
One officer was shown in home surveillance footage looking at a cake inside Afroman's home during the raid, which inspired the album’s name.
The jury ruled in favor of Afroman, supporting the principle that creative work is protected by free speech. The artist said he was "surprised" by how significant the case became for the country and the First Amendment.
"It was a big deal in my life, but I didn't know it was a big deal to the world," he said.
With the 250th birthday of the United States approaching, the rapper ended with a message to the country.
"This is home and I love everybody," he said, adding, "and God bless freedom of speech and all that good stuff."